The present invention relates to sustainable surface water drainage. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) is a term that refers to drainage systems that are environmentally sustainable rather than those that require the removal, remote treatment and disposal of large quantities of water using sewers and treatment processes. Typical SUDS devices used for on-site water management are swales and infiltration basins.
The objective of SUDS is to reduce the volume of surface water requiring disposal to the adjoining aquatic environment. This reduces the risk of watercourses and culverts downstream flooding the environment.
The need for SUDS arises when large surface areas are paved, such as by roads, car parks, airports, distribution centers and the like. These paved surfaces are described herein as pavements. They are normally required to be load bearing.
Runoff water from adjacent impermeable roofs also contributes to surface water runoff from pavements.